Uber will set up headquarters at S.F.’s Mission Bay

A rendering of Uber’s headquarters plan; construction is to start in the fall.

A rendering of Uber’s headquarters plan; construction is to start in the fall.

Photo: Handout, Uber

Photo: Handout, Uber

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A rendering of Uber’s headquarters plan; construction is to start in the fall.

A rendering of Uber’s headquarters plan; construction is to start in the fall.

Photo: Handout, Uber

Uber will set up headquarters at S.F.’s Mission Bay

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Uber will start construction in the fall on its new Mission Bay campus, a corporate headquarters development that will eventually be able to accommodate more than 3,000 workers.

On Wednesday, the app-based transportation company, which operates in more than 200 cities in 55 countries, released the first renderings of the 423,000-square-foot, two-building complex that will include an 11-story mid-rise at 1455 Third St. and a six-story structure at 1515 Third St. The design details were released as part of a “request for qualifications” process, through which Uber is seeking to recruit small and minority-owned businesses for the development team.

The heart of the campus, designed by SHoP Architects and interior designer Studio O+A, is a multistory “commons” — a glassed-in network of circulation and gathering spaces fronting Third Street. The Commons features three angling glass and steel bridges crossing over Pierpoint Lane, a public pedestrian way. There will also be a small city park on Pierpoint, with a day care center spilling out onto it.

The “inside-out” design seeks to reinforce the openness of Uber’s corporate culture, according to Adony Beniares, head of workplace operations. “There is a transparency we have internally where anybody can talk to anybody about what is going on” regardless of title or level of responsibility, he said.

Uber now leases 230,000 square feet at 1455 Market St. and 90,000 square feet at 685 Market St., and is also building out 180,000 square feet at 555 Market St. Employees from all three locations will eventually move to the Mission Bay complex, which will open at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018.

Beniares said Uber was attracted to Mission Bay for its waterfront location, as well as proximity to public transit, new housing, parks, walking trails and other amenities such as AT&T Park and the proposed Golden State Warriors arena. The company was determined to stay in San Francisco, rather than move to a more spacious suburban location.

“It’s a great neighborhood now; it’s going to be a super-great neighborhood,” he said.

The Mission Bay campus won’t have facilities for Uber drivers, who are registered and trained at separate “partner support centers.”

The Uber campus will be built on part of a 14-acre parcel that Salesforce bought from Alexandria Real Estate Equities. Salesforce had originally planned to build its headquarters there, but eventually decided to expand in San Francisco’s south Financial District. Salesforce ended up selling the land in three chunks — one to the Warriors, one to UCSF and one to Uber.

Interestingly, Uber said that the design of the Mission Bay office would mark a departure from the open office plans that have become so trendy in recent years. Instead, the Uber workstations will be arranged in a series of work areas, each with access to shared support and collaborative work zones.